Denver Native (Carol)
08-30-2010, 03:38 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_15936263
The first football team to nine victories will be the champion of a weak AFC West. There's no reason the Denver Broncos can't be that team.
Playoffs?
Josh McDaniels can get there during his second season as coach in Denver.
It won't take a miracle, although a healthy Ryan Clady would help.
The Broncos know what the NFL world thinks of them: not much. Denver is viewed as little more than a win on the schedule for serious championship contenders.
"Obviously, that motivates us," Broncos receiver Brandon Lloyd said Sunday night, after beating Pittsburgh 34-17 in the only game that really matters on the preseason schedule. "But, at the same time, it's not like we're hanging newspaper clippings in the locker room about how terrible everybody thinks we are. It's fine. It's cool. Once we get between those lines, I think teams will respect us."
The division title is there for the taking by Denver.
San Diego has lost its mojo, Kansas City isn't quite ready for prime time and Oakland remains hopelessly lost in an Al Davis time warp.
In the past 25 years, has counting on the Broncos to make the playoffs ever been such a large act of faith?
Running back Knowshon Moreno is a rumor. Elvis Dumervil has left the building, and the pass rush now is in dire need of somebody, anybody to help us make it through the night.
And here's the scariest thought of all: Are the Broncos so desperate for their best offensive lineman that the team will risk rushing Clady back to duty before he is ready? If Clady is in the huddle for the Jacksonville game, it could actually be a sign that McDaniels has panicked about the inability to run the football.
But here is the belief that Denver can find a way to get to the playoffs. It is based on Jamal Williams being rock solid at nose tackle, Champ Bailey playing lights out at cornerback and McDaniels working his magic with Orton at quarterback. If the Denver quarterback is better than a year ago, the offense will score more points than when Brandon Marshall was wearing orange and blue.
What's more, if the first two opponents on Denver's schedule were any softer, you would swear they were booked by Nebraska's Tom Osborne. We know 6-0 really didn't get the Broncos anywhere last season. But they absolutely need to start 2-0 this September.
A franchise ultimately rises or falls on the basis of its marquee draft choices. McDaniels might never beat Mike Shanahan at X's and O's, so this Denver coach must prove he's a stronger evaluator of talent. So it would help McDaniels' case if linebacker Robert Ayers grows into an impact player in his second NFL season.
"I'm not going to raise my hand s the heavyweight champion of the world," said Ayers, after recording two sacks against the Steelers. "I'm just going to keep working."
McDaniels preaches he wants a football team whose high IQ is backed by muscle. Denver not only wants to win the battle of brains, but also have the capability to beat the stuffing out of a foe.
So while exhibition games might not count for much, the Broncos wanted to get in the face of the Steelers for a reason. "They've been known for being a physical team for the past 25 years, probably before I was even born," said Denver linebacker Mario Haggan, explaining why the home team's intensity, and the resulting personal-foul penalties induced from Pittsburgh, was so high.
Nothing much is expected of the Broncos in 2010, which, in an odd way, passes for progress. A year ago, Denver was believed to be a disaster waiting to happen.
But the beauty of NFL parity means never having to say you're sorry for making the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Ask the Arizona Cardinals or New York Jets of recent vintage.
Denver is still a team discovering how it will win.
"The identity we want to have is a tough team that knows how to finish and get the job done," Ayers said.
Find an identity and the Broncos will find themselves in the playoffs.
The first football team to nine victories will be the champion of a weak AFC West. There's no reason the Denver Broncos can't be that team.
Playoffs?
Josh McDaniels can get there during his second season as coach in Denver.
It won't take a miracle, although a healthy Ryan Clady would help.
The Broncos know what the NFL world thinks of them: not much. Denver is viewed as little more than a win on the schedule for serious championship contenders.
"Obviously, that motivates us," Broncos receiver Brandon Lloyd said Sunday night, after beating Pittsburgh 34-17 in the only game that really matters on the preseason schedule. "But, at the same time, it's not like we're hanging newspaper clippings in the locker room about how terrible everybody thinks we are. It's fine. It's cool. Once we get between those lines, I think teams will respect us."
The division title is there for the taking by Denver.
San Diego has lost its mojo, Kansas City isn't quite ready for prime time and Oakland remains hopelessly lost in an Al Davis time warp.
In the past 25 years, has counting on the Broncos to make the playoffs ever been such a large act of faith?
Running back Knowshon Moreno is a rumor. Elvis Dumervil has left the building, and the pass rush now is in dire need of somebody, anybody to help us make it through the night.
And here's the scariest thought of all: Are the Broncos so desperate for their best offensive lineman that the team will risk rushing Clady back to duty before he is ready? If Clady is in the huddle for the Jacksonville game, it could actually be a sign that McDaniels has panicked about the inability to run the football.
But here is the belief that Denver can find a way to get to the playoffs. It is based on Jamal Williams being rock solid at nose tackle, Champ Bailey playing lights out at cornerback and McDaniels working his magic with Orton at quarterback. If the Denver quarterback is better than a year ago, the offense will score more points than when Brandon Marshall was wearing orange and blue.
What's more, if the first two opponents on Denver's schedule were any softer, you would swear they were booked by Nebraska's Tom Osborne. We know 6-0 really didn't get the Broncos anywhere last season. But they absolutely need to start 2-0 this September.
A franchise ultimately rises or falls on the basis of its marquee draft choices. McDaniels might never beat Mike Shanahan at X's and O's, so this Denver coach must prove he's a stronger evaluator of talent. So it would help McDaniels' case if linebacker Robert Ayers grows into an impact player in his second NFL season.
"I'm not going to raise my hand s the heavyweight champion of the world," said Ayers, after recording two sacks against the Steelers. "I'm just going to keep working."
McDaniels preaches he wants a football team whose high IQ is backed by muscle. Denver not only wants to win the battle of brains, but also have the capability to beat the stuffing out of a foe.
So while exhibition games might not count for much, the Broncos wanted to get in the face of the Steelers for a reason. "They've been known for being a physical team for the past 25 years, probably before I was even born," said Denver linebacker Mario Haggan, explaining why the home team's intensity, and the resulting personal-foul penalties induced from Pittsburgh, was so high.
Nothing much is expected of the Broncos in 2010, which, in an odd way, passes for progress. A year ago, Denver was believed to be a disaster waiting to happen.
But the beauty of NFL parity means never having to say you're sorry for making the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Ask the Arizona Cardinals or New York Jets of recent vintage.
Denver is still a team discovering how it will win.
"The identity we want to have is a tough team that knows how to finish and get the job done," Ayers said.
Find an identity and the Broncos will find themselves in the playoffs.